Restaurant Review - The Potted Pig, Cardiff

The Potted Pig is one of the hardest restaurants to get in in Cardiff. The first time Dr. T and I walked in – it was fully booked. The second time we called couple days in advance – it was already fully booked again. According to their waiters, four to six weeks booking in advance is needed. So, the third time we chose a day six weeks in advance and finally got a table!

The Potted Pig 可是說是Cardiff裡最難訂到位的餐廳了。第一次，我和Dr. T直接走進餐廳，客滿了。第二次，我們早了幾天打電話訂位，又客滿了。服務生說，訂位已排到四至六週後了。第三次，我們打電話去訂了一個遙遠的日子，六週後，終於，我們訂到了位子。

What kind of restaurant needs four to six weeks booking in advance in Cardiff? Never heard of that! Before we went, Dr. T and I wondered how good it could be. It better be good!

在Cardiff這種地方到底什麼樣的餐廳要四到六週前訂位？這種事我在這三年還從沒遇過。我和Dr. T一直在想這餐廳到底有多好？它最好真的很好吃！

After we are sat (yes, finally got a table), Dr. T and I both found the fit-out of the restaurant quite pleasant. It had the style that we like – brick wall, wooden tables with retro caste iron legs, industrial lighting and showing pipes. Good fit-out and atmosphere is always a good start.

入座後（是的，終於進到這家餐廳了！），我和Dr. T都覺得餐廳的裝潢令人滿意。裝潢是我們喜歡的風格 – 紅磚牆，復古金屬桌腳的木頭桌，工業感的吊燈和外露的水管。好的裝潢與氣氛總是好的開始。

So, how was the food? Simple food but nicely made. And, surprisingly inexpensive.

但食物到底如何呢？簡而言之，用心講究的基本料理，而且意外親民的價格。

We had ‘Coriander crusted seared tune loin with soy & ginger dipping sauce’ and ‘Chargrilled new season squid, aioli & lime’ to start.

開胃菜我們點了‘Coriander crusted seared tune loin with soy & ginger dipping sauce’和‘Chargrilled new season squid, aioli & lime’。

My eyes lit up when I put a piece of tuna with some sauce in my mouth. The meat was very tender and the sauce was light, which allowed me to taste the tuna, but also added a sparkle to the flavour.

當我將沾了醬汁鮪魚片放入我口中後，我眼睛為之一亮！鮪魚肉質非常柔軟，醬汁清淡而不至於蓋過鮪魚的鮮味，但卻為鮪魚帶來意想不到的滋味。

The grilled squid was chewy but not dry or hard. I liked that it had a grilled smell and was slightly bitter. The aioli made the squid even sweeter without making it too greasy and tiring my taste.

烤烏賊富有彈性而不乾硬。我希歡它帶點甘苦的焦香味。蒜茸美奶汁讓烏賊更鮮甜卻不讓人覺得油膩。

For mains we had ‘Pan fried fillet of hake with lentils, bacon & parsley’ and ‘Madgetts farm duck breast with confit potatoes, carrot puree & confit duck leg fritter’.

主菜我們點了‘Pan fried fillet of hake with lentils, bacon & parsley’ 和 ‘Madgetts farm duck breast with confit potatoes, carrot puree & confit duck leg fritter’。

The hake was pan-fried with a crispy and nicely seasoned skin. I usually do not eat any skin but after I had a cautious tiny bite of the skin I had it all. Perilla was added in the lentils and it was my favourite taste of this dish – a bit sour and a bit sweet at the same time. It has a sharp taste which sometimes could give you a shock but a good shock. As a lentil fan, Dr. T enjoyed it as well and provoked his craving to try more bean salads.

鱈魚排煎的焦香，外皮酥脆帶點海鹹味。我通常是不碰魚皮，雞皮，豬皮等各種皮的，但在我小心翼翼地嘗了一小口鱈魚皮後，發現它極美味，我竟然把魚皮都吃光了！在燉豆裡的紫蘇是這整盤菜的另一亮點。我喜歡紫蘇它獨特的酸甜以及他難以形容的香味。紫蘇有時對味覺稍嫌刺激，但我說它絕對是個美好的刺激。燉豆讓喜歡豆類的Dr. T 喜出望外，吃了整盤的燉豆後，直說要吃更多的燉豆沙拉。

The presentation of the duck breast almost looked like bar food. My favourite of this dish is the fritter – crispy outside, soft inside and rich flavour, tasty! The duck breast was a slight disappointment for me. The middle of the breast was juicy and tender but the outer part was a little dry and hard. Also, it was lacking a bit of flavour.

鴨胸的擺盤 有點像bar裡的食物。這道菜中我最喜歡的是鴨腿餡的炸麵團，外酥內軟且味道濃郁。但說實話，鴨胸本身令人有些失望。鴨胸中間尚算軟而多汁，但外圍偏乾硬，且嘗不到太多的鴨肉味。

To finish up the dinner we shared ‘Sour cheery brownie with blackberry liqueur cream’ and I liked it! I like soft brownie melting in my mouth so every bit of my mouth can be covered by the rich creamy chocolate – but not like real chocolate which melts too fast. This brownie was exactly the way I like! The rich creamy chocolate flavour however did not take over the taste of the sour cherry. The sour cheery made the brownie have different layers of flavour and made it more interesting. The cream also added to the score of the brownie. Just like I usually do not eat skin, I do not eat cream much either. But the cream surprisingly had a very light texture and fresh taste. Strangely it made the brownie not that heavy – I know it is a very strange thing to say but it was true. It was almost a miracle that a cream hater, me, had more than half of it.  

好不容易定到位了，所以再飽也要吃甜點！我們一起吃了‘Sour cheery brownie with blackberry liqueur cream’。非常好吃！我喜歡軟綿的布朗尼溶在嘴裡的感覺，巧克力包覆嘴裡的每一部位，又不像一般巧克力融的太快，布朗泥的巧克力香味甜味在嘴裡久久都不會散去。而這塊布朗尼正是如此！然而香濃的巧克力並沒有掩蓋掉蛋糕裡櫻桃的酸甜味。櫻桃讓布朗尼嚐起來更有層次更有趣，不單單只是死甜的巧克力。奶油也意外地讓布朗尼加分許多。我是個不吃奶油的人， 但這奶油比一般的奶油清爽不油膩許多。奇怪的是，它竟然讓布朗尼吃起來不那麼膩 – 我知道這聽起來像鬼話連篇，但我舉雙手對天發誓這是真的！讓討厭奶油的我吃了超過一半的奶油，簡直可以說是奇蹟了。

All-in-all the food was pretty satisfying, but is it worth booking  four to six weeks in advance? Hmm…if you are an organised person, you might not mind it, but I would maybe just choose a restaurant that I can walk in anytime I feel like it. I would definitely like to go back, but the urge is not big enough to make me pick up my phone now.

整體而言，食物相當讓人滿意，但到底值不值得大費周章的提早四到六週訂位呢？嗯…如果你是個非常有規劃的人，你值得考慮這麼做。我會再光顧這家餐廳，但這慾望實在是沒有強烈到讓我馬上拿起手邊的電話訂位。我實在比較喜歡隨意，偏愛當我懶的煮飯時可以隨時走進飽餐一頓的（好吃的！）餐廳 。

My scores for The Potted Pig:

Food – 7

Atmosphere – 7.5

Service – 6.5

Value – 8

Dr T's scores for The Potted Pig

Food – 7.5

Atmosphere – 8.5

Service – 7

Value - 8

Other reviews on The Potted Pig:
Jay Rayner
Clare Hutchinson
GourmetGorro 
Define Dining

Restaurant Website

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